Traditions and Custom

China is a country steeped in ancient customs and traditions of which the native people are proud. To many people in the west countries, the word 'China' typically conjure up thoughts of dragons, giant pandas,the color, the number 8 and the distinctive calligraphs, all of which are traditional to this country.

China and the whole Europe share similar-size land area. With such a large area, customs are always different in different parts. In addition, due to the fact that this country is one of the existing oldest cultures, traditions have grown over centuries with unique festivals, customs, arts and cuisines.

Festival

Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival) is the most important festival celebrated all over the country. It is the first day of the whole year in Chinese lunar calendar. It's hard to miss the good fortune or happiness messages hung in red from every doorway and the smell of feasts being cooked as families gather at this time.

The number 6 is an example of the sound byte association mentioned above: "six" is pronounced "liu" in Mandarin Chinese, and has a sound byte close to the sound byte for the Mandarin Chinese word which means "flowing, smooth, or frictionless".Therefore the number 6 is considered very lucky, especially where it occurs in multiples. So highly is the number 6 prized, in fact, that a motorcycle dealership in Zengcheng in Guangdong Province paid the net sum of RMB 272,000 (USD $34,000) for a motorcycle license plate bearing the number AW6666.

Legend

As a legend goes, a monster, named Xi, always finds food in villages for its lack of food in winter. Villagers are afraid of this monster, so they come up with a way to frighten and expel Xi by lighting bamboos and paste red paper on their doors. Xi fears the sound of lighted bamboos and red color, so it runs away.

People successfully chase away Xi. The day people expelling Xi, people call it Chu Xi which is the Chinese of New Year’s Eve. (Chu in English means expelling or killing.). Nowadays, people still kindle bamboos in New Year’s Eve, but just for celebrating the coming of New Year.

Art

Chinese calligraph has played a significant role in Chinese art. Dating back over 3,000 years, characters were pictures of objects representing their meaning.

The Oracles is the origin of Chinese characters. According to Chinese mythology, Cang Jie invented Chinese characters. Findings show that the earliest characters are the Oracles which were engraved on animals’ bones or tortoises’ shells.

Master Wang Hsi-chih (303—361 A.D.) was an outstanding representative of Chinese calligraphy. Many people facsimile his works until today. Through all these years evolution, characters have evolved into the words we used today.

Cuisines

The food is one of the traditional cultures in China which is famous around the world. From Roast Duck and Noodles with Bean Paste in Beijing to dim sum in Hong Kong, no one would deny that the kinds of Chinese cuisines are various. It's not uncommon to hear people greeting each other by asking "Have you eaten yet?" Many travelers are aware but unsure of all the etiquette traditions but most locals will be tolerant of the odd mistake; a smile and following what your fellow diners do will get you through.

China is one of the oldest countries with long history and abundant cultures. Enjoying a trip to China, every visitor would have their own special experience. It would be advisable to prepare a little bit before any trips. China Travel can help you tailor-making your China trip, worry-free, save time and money!